ToweLock

ABSTRACT

This invention provides for a new and improved apparatus to secure the corners or edges of fabric or material that is used for covering ground surfaces. The apparatus incorporates a clip for gripping the fabric or material thereby enabling the corners or edges to be anchored buy a stake with an extendable spike into porous ground surfaces. Opening the clip via compressing the rear clip handles, the foldable spring-loaded releasing stake and spike attached to the clip body, extends and locks the stake and spike onto the clip base to be inserted into the ground matter for the secure anchoring of the article that is attached.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the invention

This invention relates to the field of creating a new and improvedapparatus for securing a piece of fabric or material covering porousground surfaces.

2. Background Art Lying on a towel or blanket on the ground, lawn orsandy beach has been common practice for people. The problem has alwaysbeen that the movement of the towel or blanket on porous ground surfacescaused by the wind, general movement of the person lying on the towel orblanket, or by people walking on the article. It is not uncommon to seepeople using paperweight like objectives on all four corners or edges ofthe towel or blanket to keep it in original position.

Manufacturers have produced and marketed beach towel holding andanchoring devices. Some have used spikes to secure the corners or edgesof the towel or blanket, but the devices damage the towel or blanket bypunching holes in it or fraying. Others made the devices with clamps andspikes to secure the towel or blanket, but the spikes are not small insize and are not easy to carry inside a handbag or carrier and arepiercing. None of these devices have been very satisfactory to enable acover, such as a towel or blanket to be held in an upright relationalong its side edge portions to thus restrict the blowing-in of sand,upon the surface of the cover.

A portable holding device to secure a piece of fabric or material onporous ground surfaces is capable of other embodiments and beingpracticed and carried out in various ways. Those skilled in the art willappreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, mayreadily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures,methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the presentfabric holding apparatus.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is the object of this invention to provide a new and improved holdingapparatus, which may be easily and efficiently to maintain a piece offabric or material in its original position with flexibility andresiliency to accommodate variances in the depth of the porous groundsurfaces and a reasonable movement of the fabric or material. Theapparatus in this invention is comprised two major portions, which wouldinclude a stake portion and a clip portion. The clip would be affixed tothe top of the stake portion of this invention. The clip would normallybe in a closed position, but could be opened by pressing the rearhandles of the clip portion together, placing an edge of the desiredfabric or material within the clip, and then releasing the handles ofthe clip to effectively secure the fabric or material to the apparatus.The stake portion is collapsible and extendable via a spike, whichallows the stake to be pushed down into the porous ground surfaces. Theelongated anchor is relatively stiff and when locked in place, whichprovides for the resilience necessary to hold the clamp in place inrelation to where is it anchored.

Additionally, another object of this invention is the changeable shapesof the clip, a means to display advertising and/or a symbol of theuser's personal interests. This additional functionality is accomplishedby replacing the clip with a different shape, which is discussed in thespecification.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a side elevation view of the apparatus with the stake andthe spike in vertical axis position.

FIG. 2 shows a side elevation view of the apparatus with the stake andthe spike in a closed position folded into the embedded space within thebottom of the base.

FIG. 3 shows the apparatus with a clear top view of the top base.

FIG. 4 shows the apparatus with a clear bottom view of the bottom base.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 shows the side view of this invention.The apparatus is comprised of a clip 10, a stake 18, a spike 20, a stakelocking mechanism 22, a conjoined fulcrum 30, and a spike lockingmechanism 34. The clip 10 may differ in size, shape, color or othercharacteristics of appearance and each necessarily will have in commonthe top base 12 and the bottom base 14 with attached stake 18 and spike20.

Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the clip 10 is comprised of a top base12 and a bottom base 14, wherein each would have two ends, front end andback end. The back ends of the top base 12 and bottom base 14 containgrooved grips 16 to provide for easy opening and closing of top base 12and bottom base 14 without slippage. The front ends of top base 12 andbottom base 14 contain teeth-like grooves 36 to provide for maximumgripping of article. Placing pressure simultaneously on the back ends oftop base 12 and bottom base 14 together, clip 10 would open forinserting an edge or side of a fabric or material to front end ofgrooves 36. This action will tin turn releases the stake 18, and spike20 via the torsion spring 28 to a 90° angle and locked into place.Releasing pressure of rear top base 12 and bottom base 14, the front-endclip 10 would tightly grip the edge or side of the fabric or materialutilizing grooves 36 due to the pressure of the torsion spring 32. Theedge or side of the fabric or material would only be released whensqueezed the top base 12 and bottom base 14 together will opened up theclip 10, and the fabric or material can be removed without any damage tothe article that was attached.

Referring to FIG. 2, the stake locking mechanism 22 is comprised of astake release leaver 24 attached to the top base 12, and a stake lock 26attached to the stake 18, and a torsion spring 28 connected to thepivotal fulcrum by a pin to join the bottom base 14 and the stake 18.When squeezed the back ends top base 12 and bottom base 14 together, thestake release leaver 24 that would push the stake lock 26 to release thestake 18 and a spike 20 to be locked into a 90° vertical axis positionto anchor the apparatus into porous surfaces.

Referring to FIG. 1, the body of the stake 18 has two ends, an upper endand a bottom end. The upper end of the stake 18 is pivotally connectedto the bottom base 14 of the clip 10. The bottom end of the stake 18 ispivotally connected to the upper end of the spike 20. When the stake 18and spike 20 extended and is lowered to a 90° angle to the clip 10 itthen can be inserted into porous surfaces to anchor each corner edge ofthe fabric or material.

Referring to FIG. 1, the spike 20 would have an upper end and a bottomend, wherein the upper end of the spike 20 is pivotally connected to thebottom end of the stake 18. The bottom end of the spike 20 is taperedlongitudinally to a point at the free end to insert the spike 20 intoporous surfaces. The spike 20 would be extractable and extendable toprolong the stake 18 providing a vertical tolerance for variances in thedepth of porous surfaces into which the stake 18 and spike 20 can bedriven.

Referring to FIG. 2 and FIG. 4, the stake 18 and the spike 20 arecollapsible under the bottom base 14, thereby providing a means offlexibility to store safely the apparatus in a pouch inside a handbag orcarrier without snagging or piercing any items where it is stored.

Referring to FIG. 2 shows a side elevation view of the clip 10, whereinthe top base 12 is joined to the bottom base 14 by a resilient conjoinedfulcrum 30. As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the conjoined fulcrum 30contains a torsion spring 32, which is connected to the pivotal fulcrumby a pin to join the top base 12 and the bottom base 14.

Referring to FIG. 1, the spike 20 is locked with stake 18 using lockingmechanism 34 for prolonging the stake 18. By this arrangement, the stake18 and the spike 20 would be secured in a locked vertical axis positionto anchor the clip 10 apparatus into porous surfaces.

What I claim as my invention is:
 1. An apparatus to secure a piece offabric or material in position on ground comprising a) a clip, havinggripping means, to grip said fabric or material, b) a connecting meansto conjoin said top base and said bottom base, and c) a stake means toanchor said apparatus into ground, d) a stake locking means pivotallyconnected to said gripping means to secure said stake into said clip andto release said stake means, e) an extension means to prolong said stakemeans, f) an extension locking means to secure said stake means and saidextendable means in vertical axis position to anchor said apparatus intoground.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said gripping means furthercomprising a top base and a bottom base, each having two ends, a frontend and a back end.
 3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said top basefurther comprising a stake lock release to unlock said stake means fromsaid bottom base.
 4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said bottom basefurther comprising a release lever to release stake means from saidbottom base.
 5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said connecting meansis located in between said top base and said bottom base.
 6. Theapparatus of claim 1, wherein said connecting means further comprisingtwo pivotal joints to connect said top base and said bottom base by afastener.
 7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said connecting meansfurther comprising a pressure closing mechanism to interlace said topbase and said bottom base.
 8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein saidstake means contains two ends, a top end and a bottom end, wherein saidtop end is pivotally connected said bottom base and said bottom end ispivotally connected said extension means.
 9. The apparatus of claim 1,wherein said stake means is collapsible to be embedded in said bottombase.
 10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said stake locking means islocated inside said bottom base.
 11. The apparatus of claim 1, whereinsaid stake locking means further comprising a pressure opening mechanismto unlock said stake means from inside said bottom base.
 12. Theapparatus of claim 1, wherein said extension means further comprising aspike to prolong said stake to anchor said apparatus into poroussurfaces.
 13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said spike is taperedlongitudinally to a point at a free end.
 14. The apparatus of claim 12,wherein said spike is extractable and extendable from said stake means.15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said extension locking means islocated in between said stake means and said spike.
 16. The apparatus ofclaim 1, wherein said extension locking means is located on said stakemeans.
 17. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said extension lockingmeans further comprising a pressure locking mechanism to longitudinallylock said stake means and said spike to anchor said apparatus intoground.
 18. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said clip can be, and isnot limited to, various shapes, whether geometric in nature or beingrepresentative of logos, characters, animals, figures, sportsparaphernalia and commonly recognizable items of advertisement orpersonal interest.